Boordy

Hold on to your hats, Maryland wine fans. Don't let the modest price tag fool you. This is serious, full-bodied white wine. Made from the underrated seyval blanc grape, this wine delivers just as much flavor, intensity and complexity as many $20 chardonnays. There's plenty here: toasty oak, vanilla, peach, pear, dry essence of honey, spices. It would be fun to serve this blind to some California wine snob.

From: Maryland Price: $11 Serve with: Crab cakes, grilled fish Maryland's oldest winery has come up with a winner in this fruity, lively, fresh pinot grigio, which surpasses the quality of most of its price peers from California or Italy. It's a well-balanced, dry white wine with flavors of citrus, nuts, peach and pears. It would be best to enjoy it in its youth, but it should hold up well until the 2010 is released.

The summer of 2002 caused widespread casualties across Maryland farmlands. The hot, dry weather parched cornfields, desiccated apple orchards and caused severe crop damage throughout the Eastern United States -- but it did grow a very good grape. "In 2002 it didn't rain, it was hot and dry over the summer, and we knew at the end of that vintage that we were going to make a good wine," said Rob Deford, the owner of Boordy Vineyards. Deford's premonition was validated recently with the announcement of the Governor's Cup winners at the Maryland Wine Festival, where Boordy received two gold medals for its 2002 Barrel Select Chardonnay and 2002 Vidal.

Surrounded by lush green vines laden with clusters of grapes ripening in a Harford County vineyard, officials and vintners announced the creation of the Piedmont Wine Trail as Maryland's fourth pathway to fine wines. The trail meanders through scenic areas of northern Baltimore and Harford counties and, if experience from the popularity of other trail ventures proves true, could bring thousands of visitors annually to the eight sites, officials said. The trail will allow vintners to show off their vineyards, offer tastes and give guests insight into the intricacies of winemaking.

It's Sunday afternoon again - that one moment of the week when you can find time to grab the spouse or kids and head out to the park, the mall, the movies or ... the vineyard? It might sound strange, but that's exactly what almost 100 people did last Sunday, as couples and families descended upon the intimate and inviting Boordy Vineyards in Hydes. On Long Green Pike 15 minutes from the Baltimore Beltway, Boordy has been offering a weekly series of events this month called "Stew in Our Own Juices," where $8 bought three kinds of stew cooked with Boordy vintages, homemade breads and a wine tasting.

1998 Boordy Vineyards Chardonnay, Maryland ($11).Long a leader in producing high-quality white wines from French-American hybrid grapes, Boordy is making impressive progress with European varietals such as chardonnay. This medium-bodied chardonnay, which draws heavily on Boordy's newly restored Burkittsville vineyard, offers fresh apple and lemon flavors with good acidity, a well-balanced touch of oak and a peppery edge. It's a wine that Marylanders can serve with pride to out-of-state visitors.

1998 Boordy Seyval Blanc, Sur Lie Reserve, Maryland ($10).Boordy, Maryland's oldest winery, has moved beyond its humble origins and is now making very fine wines from classic European grapes such as cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, cabernet franc and riesling. But those who know Maryland wine still consider its Sur Lie Reserve, made from old vines of the French-American hybrid seyval blanc, Boordy's flagship wine. The 1998 version is typically full-bodied, dry and well-structured for aging.

1999 Boordy Vineyards Maryland Cabernet Sauvignon ($14). What could be more appropriate around Halloween than a hauntingly fine red wine from the home of the Blair Witch? This elegant, beautifully structured wine is made primarily from grapes grown at Boordy's vineyard in Burkittsville, where the original movie was filmed. The exceptionally penetrating black-cherry and spice flavors show once again that this is one of the finest cabernet vineyards on the East Coast. Drinkable now, the wine also has the balance and tannin to age well -- probably a good 10 years.

2000 Boordy Coastal Cuvee ($8.25). Did you ever want an inexpensive, refreshing white wine you could bring to a picnic or outdoor concert on some warm Baltimore evening? This delightful blend of hybrid vidal and seyval, along with a dollop of more aristocratic Chardonnay, could fit the bill. Boordy, Maryland's oldest winery, has fashioned a wine with a touch of sweetness, but not so much that you couldn't enjoy it with crabs or fried chicken or barbecued shrimp. It displays a rich palette of flavors -- peach, pear, melon, cherry, tropical fruit, spices and honey.

1997 Boordy Sur Lie Reserve ($9).This seyval blanc from Maryland's oldest winery has long been a great white-wine bargain. It slumped in the rain-plagued 1996 vintage, but has bounced back with a sterling 1997 in a racy new style. It's still a concentrated, intensely flavored wine, but Boordy has lightened the exposure to oak and let the fruit come through more strongly. While the wine is fully dry, it manages to give a sweet impression with flavors of honey and peach - seasoned with notes of mulling spices, fresh-baked bread and white pepper.

Now that spring is here and temperatures are rising, Boordy Vineyards is kicking off its annual outdoor Reds, Whites and Bluegrass Festival. Sunday, the vineyard will have a live performance by the Satyr Hill Band, catered food and about a dozen of the wines they make on premises for sampling and selling. The vineyard's president, Rob Deford, said the festival fits in with Boordy's mission -- that wine should be enjoyed in a laid back, pretension-free atmosphere. "It's casual, it's rural -- it's all the things that we are," Deford said.

What: Summertime Blues Festival When: 2 p.m.-8 p.m. Saturday Where: Steppingstone Museum, 461 Quaker Bottom Road, Havre de Grace. Why: Because this event promises an afternoon of live music from acts like the Elliott James Band, Mid-Life Crisis Blues Band and Night Street. Visitors of legal drinking age can also enjoy Coors and Yuengling beer and Boordy wines. And everyone can enjoy the outdoor atmosphere of the Susquehanna State Park. Admission: $15 in advance and $20 at the gate. Children 12 and under free.

ROB DEFORD and daughter, Lilly, 17, rose at 4:30 a.m. yesterday, caught the train to Washington and lined up, in the drizzle, to hear oral arguments at the Supreme Court. Deford, proprietor of Baltimore County's Boordy Vineyards, isn't usually a forensic groupie, but then the Supreme Court doesn't usually scrutinize the grape-crushing trade. In May, the court agreed to decide whether Delaware, New York, Massachusetts and dozens of other states could keep blocking Boordy and other vintners from shipping wine directly to their residents.

On a recent Saturday afternoon in February, the cozy tasting room at Boordy Vineyards is crowded with visitors. But the main attraction this day isn't being served in a glass, but on a stick. Caramel, chocolate and roasted red pepper pesto cheese fondue, each made with a swirl of Boordy wine, simmer in black crockpots on a buffet table brimming with fruit, vegetables and desserts for dipping. "We thought it would be the perfect winter getaway," says Jennifer Marsh, who came from Owings Mills with three friends to enjoy the sweet and savory offerings.

The summer of 2002 caused widespread casualties across Maryland farmlands. The hot, dry weather parched cornfields, desiccated apple orchards and caused severe crop damage throughout the Eastern United States -- but it did grow a very good grape. "In 2002 it didn't rain, it was hot and dry over the summer, and we knew at the end of that vintage that we were going to make a good wine," said Rob Deford, the owner of Boordy Vineyards. Deford's premonition was validated recently with the announcement of the Governor's Cup winners at the Maryland Wine Festival, where Boordy received two gold medals for its 2002 Barrel Select Chardonnay and 2002 Vidal.

It's Sunday afternoon again - that one moment of the week when you can find time to grab the spouse or kids and head out to the park, the mall, the movies or ... the vineyard? It might sound strange, but that's exactly what almost 100 people did last Sunday, as couples and families descended upon the intimate and inviting Boordy Vineyards in Hydes. On Long Green Pike 15 minutes from the Baltimore Beltway, Boordy has been offering a weekly series of events this month called "Stew in Our Own Juices," where $8 bought three kinds of stew cooked with Boordy vintages, homemade breads and a wine tasting.